Implementing the Search Functionality

This page outlines how to implement the actual search functionality and how to output the results in the rich text element using a simple string output.

Implement the Search Function

Start by adding a new class called Search to your project. Implement a public function called DoConcordanceSearch, which takes the search text as string parameter and a boolean parameter that indicates whether the search should be done in the target index. In addition, we pass the SelectedIndex property of the comboLanguagePairs control as another parameter. The index of this list corresponds to the index of the server TM language pair. The function returns the search result as a string.

The function is called by clicking the search button on the main lookup form, which then fills the rich text control with the search result:

private void btnSearch_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{            
    try
    {
        #region "SearchObject"
        Search search = new Search();
        #endregion

        #region "SourceOrTarget"
        // Determine whether to do the concordance search in the
        // source or in the target language;
        bool searchTarget;
        if (this.comboIndex.Text == "Target")
            searchTarget = true;
        else
            searchTarget = false;
        #endregion

        #region "FillHitlist"
        // Fill the search result into the rich text box.
        this.lblHitCount.Text = search.DoConcordanceSearch(this.txtSearch.Text, searchTarget, 
            comboLanguagePairs.SelectedIndex);
        #endregion
    }
    catch(Exception ex)
    {
        MessageBox.Show("No TM selected." + ex.Message);
    }
}

In the DoConcordanceSearch function you first execute the search in the selected TM (file or server TM). The boolean server property from the Connector (see Adding the Connector Class) class flags whether the search should be applied to a file or server TM object.

/// Do the search in either a file- or server-based TM.
SearchResults results;
if (Connector.server) 
{
    results = Connector.serverTM.LanguageDirections[langDirIndex].SearchText(GetSearchSettings(target), searchText);
}
else 
{
    results = Connector.fileTm.LanguageDirection.SearchText(GetSearchSettings(target), searchText);
}

The SearchText method takes the search string as well as the search settings as parameters. The search settings (as set by the user on the corresponding form, see Adding the Search Settings Form) are returned by a separate function:

/// <summary>
/// Configure the settings that should be applied for the search, i.e.
/// minimum match value, maximum hit count, and whether the concordance
/// search should be done in the source or in the target language.
/// </summary>
private SearchSettings GetSearchSettings(bool target)
{
    SearchSettings settings = new SearchSettings();

    settings.MaxResults = frmSettings.maxHits;
    settings.MinScore = frmSettings.minFuzzy;

    if (target)
        settings.Mode = SearchMode.TargetConcordanceSearch;
    else
        settings.Mode = SearchMode.ConcordanceSearch;

    return settings;
}

Next, you start building up the hit result string by determining the hit count:

/// Build up the string that holds the hitlist result.
string hitlist;
hitlist = "Hit count: " + results.Count.ToString() + "\n\n";

In the following step, you need to traverse the search results:

foreach (SearchResult result in results)
{
    hitlist += GetTuInformation(result);
}

The loop continues to build up the hitlist string by calling a separate GetTuInformation helper function, which returns TU information such as the source/target segments, the creation date, any field names and values, as well as the match value:

/// <summary>
/// This function returns further information on the given translation unit (TU).
/// </summary>
private string GetTuInformation(SearchResult tuResult)
{
    string tuInfo;

    #region "score"
    /// The matching score
    tuInfo = "\nScore: " + tuResult.ScoringResult.Match.ToString() + "%\n";
    #endregion

    #region "segments"
    /// The source and target segments
    tuInfo += "Source: " + tuResult.MemoryTranslationUnit.SourceSegment.ToPlain() + "\n";
    tuInfo += "Target: " + tuResult.MemoryTranslationUnit.TargetSegment.ToPlain() + "\n";
    #endregion

    #region "date"
    /// The TU creation date.
    tuInfo += "Creation date: " + tuResult.MemoryTranslationUnit.SystemFields.CreationDate + "\n";
    #endregion

    #region "fields"
    /// Any field values (e.g. Customer, Project id, etc. associated with the
    /// given TU.
    foreach (FieldValue field in tuResult.MemoryTranslationUnit.FieldValues)
    {
        tuInfo += field.Name + ": " + field.ToString();
    }
    tuInfo += "\n";
    #endregion

    return tuInfo;
}

At the end the DoConcordanceSearch function returns the full hit result string, which is then used to fill the rich text control:

return hitlist;

Apply the Search Settings

Add the following private function called GetSearchSettings, which configures the search settings according to the settings configured on the search settings form (see Adding the Search Settings Form).

/// <summary>
/// Configure the settings that should be applied for the search, i.e.
/// minimum match value, maximum hit count, and whether the concordance
/// search should be done in the source or in the target language.
/// </summary>
private SearchSettings GetSearchSettings(bool target)
{
    SearchSettings settings = new SearchSettings();

    settings.MaxResults = frmSettings.maxHits;
    settings.MinScore = frmSettings.minFuzzy;

    if (target)
        settings.Mode = SearchMode.TargetConcordanceSearch;
    else
        settings.Mode = SearchMode.ConcordanceSearch;

    return settings;
}

See also Doing Translation Memory Lookups for more information on the available search settings.

Putting it All Together

The complete search class should look as shown below:

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using Sdl.LanguagePlatform.TranslationMemoryApi;
using Sdl.LanguagePlatform.TranslationMemory;
using Sdl.LanguagePlatform.Core.Tokenization;
using Sdl.LanguagePlatform.Core;


namespace SDK.LanguagePlatform.Samples.TmLookup
{
    class Search
    {
        #region "search"
        /// <summary>
        /// This function performs the actual concordance search operation.
        /// </summary>
        public string DoConcordanceSearch(string searchText, bool target, int langDirIndex)
        {
            #region "execute"
            /// Do the search in either a file- or server-based TM.
            SearchResults results;
            if (Connector.server) 
            {
                results = Connector.serverTM.LanguageDirections[langDirIndex].SearchText(GetSearchSettings(target), searchText);
            }
            else {
                results = Connector.fileTm.LanguageDirection.SearchText(GetSearchSettings(target), searchText);
            }            
            #endregion

            #region "StartHitlist"
            /// Build up the string that holds the hitlist result.
            string hitlist;
            hitlist = "Hit count: " + results.Count.ToString() + "\n\n";
            #endregion

            #region "result"
            foreach (SearchResult result in results)
            {
                hitlist += GetTuInformation(result);
            }  
            #endregion

            #region "CloseHitlist"
            return hitlist;
            #endregion
        }
        #endregion

        #region "TuInfo"
        /// <summary>
        /// This function returns further information on the given translation unit (TU).
        /// </summary>
        private string GetTuInformation(SearchResult tuResult)
        {
            string tuInfo;

            #region "score"
            /// The matching score
            tuInfo = "\nScore: " + tuResult.ScoringResult.Match.ToString() + "%\n";
            #endregion

            #region "segments"
            /// The source and target segments
            tuInfo += "Source: " + tuResult.MemoryTranslationUnit.SourceSegment.ToPlain() + "\n";
            tuInfo += "Target: " + tuResult.MemoryTranslationUnit.TargetSegment.ToPlain() + "\n";
            #endregion

            #region "date"
            /// The TU creation date.
            tuInfo += "Creation date: " + tuResult.MemoryTranslationUnit.SystemFields.CreationDate + "\n";
            #endregion

            #region "fields"
            /// Any field values (e.g. Customer, Project id, etc. associated with the
            /// given TU.
            foreach (FieldValue field in tuResult.MemoryTranslationUnit.FieldValues)
            {
                tuInfo += field.Name + ": " + field.ToString();
            }
            tuInfo += "\n";
            #endregion

            return tuInfo;
        }   
        #endregion

        #region "settings"
        /// <summary>
        /// Configure the settings that should be applied for the search, i.e.
        /// minimum match value, maximum hit count, and whether the concordance
        /// search should be done in the source or in the target language.
        /// </summary>
        private SearchSettings GetSearchSettings(bool target)
        {
            SearchSettings settings = new SearchSettings();

            settings.MaxResults = frmSettings.maxHits;
            settings.MinScore = frmSettings.minFuzzy;

            if (target)
                settings.Mode = SearchMode.TargetConcordanceSearch;
            else
                settings.Mode = SearchMode.ConcordanceSearch;

            return settings;
        }
        #endregion
    }
}